Maximizing the reach

We are developing web server solutions to extend access beyond our NCBs to frontline law enforcement officers, such as border guards, allowing them to search the databases on wanted persons, stolen and lost travel documents and stolen motor vehicles.

﻿I-link is a new operating system, being continually developed to improve the quality and uniformity of data, and to enable investigators to make links between cases that would not previously have been apparent.

Main databases

The figures cited below are accurate as of July 2013.

Nominal Data – contains more than 153,000 records on known international criminals, missing persons and dead bodies, with their criminal histories, photographs, fingerprints, etc.

﻿Notices – our system of notices is used to alert police to fugitives, suspected terrorists, dangerous criminals, missing persons or weapons threats. In 2012, more than 12,000 Notices were issued, of which some 8,000 were Red Notices for wanted persons.

Stolen and Lost Travel Documents – holds information on nearly 38 million travel documents reported lost or stolen by 166 countries. This database enables INTERPOL National Central Bureaus and other authorized law enforcement entities (such as immigration and border control officers) to ascertain the validity of a suspect travel document in seconds.

﻿Fingerprints – we manage an Automated Fingerprint Identification System which contains more than 184,000 sets of fingerprints contributed by 176 countries.

﻿DNA Profiles – contains more than 135,000 DNA profiles from 68 countries. DNA profiles are numerically coded sets of genetic markers unique to every individual and can be used to help solve crimes and identify missing persons and unidentified bodies.

﻿Firearms – The INTERPOL Firearms Reference Table allows investigators to properly identify a firearm used in a crime (its make, model, calibre, etc.). It contains more than 250,000 firearms references and 57,000 high-quality images. The INTERPOL Ballistic Information Network is a platform for the large-scale international sharing and comparison of ballistics data, holding more than 150,000 records.

﻿Stolen Works of Art – allows member countries to research records of more than 42,000 pieces of artwork and cultural heritage reported stolen all over the world.

﻿Stolen Motor Vehicles – provides extensive identification details on approximately 7.2 million vehicles reported stolen around the world. In 2012, more than 93,000 stolen motor vehicles were identified using the database.

﻿Fusion Task Force – a database of more than 10,000 persons suspected of being linked to terrorist activities. Some 160 member countries currently contribute to terrorism related matters.

Stolen Administrative Documents – contains information on more than 580,000 official documents which serve to identify objects, for example, vehicle registration documents and clearance certificates for import/export.

Notices and nominal data

INTERPOL’s system of ﻿Notices is used to issue international alerts for fugitives, suspected criminals, persons linked to or of interest in an ongoing criminal investigation, persons and entities subject to UN Security Council Sanctions, potential threats, missing persons and dead bodies. Details are stored in a database known as the INTERPOL Criminal Information System, which also contains personal data and the criminal history of people subject to request for international police cooperation.

Fingerprints and DNA profiling can play a crucial role in solving crimes as they have the potential to reveal links between individuals and/or crime scenes. Just as importantly, they can help to prove a suspect’s innocence.

Fingerprints

Authorized users in member countries can view, submit and cross-check records in the ﻿fingerprints database via a user-friendly automatic fingerprint identification system (AFIS).

DNA profiles

This database contains ﻿DNA profiles from offenders, crime scenes, missing persons and unidentified bodies. INTERPOL does not store any nominal data linking a DNA profile to any individual.

Travel and official documents

Border points are critical locations for preserving national security. INTERPOL provides a range of databases to help detect and prevent the fraudulent use of travel papers and administrative documents, thereby restricting the movement of criminals or illicit items.

Comparison of genuine and fake documents

Edison (Electronic Documentation and Information System on Investigation Networks) provides examples of genuine travel documents, in order to help identify fakes. It contains images, descriptions and security features of genuine travel and identity documents issued by countries and international organizations.

Stolen property

Stolen motor vehicles, vessels and works of art are likely to be trafficked across borders. We maintain global databases in order to assist the law enforcement community in identifying stolen items and to increase the chance of their recovery.

Motor vehicles

Vessels

The Stolen Vessels database serves as a centralized tool for tracing and tracking stolen vessels and engines.

Works of art

The ﻿Works of Art database contains descriptions and pictures of cultural objects reported as stolen by INTERPOL member countries and international partners such as the International Council of Museums and UNESCO. It includes items looted during crisis periods in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

Firearms and dangerous materials

We offer powerful tools which can help member countries to collect data, trace items and analyse trends related to firearms and radiological and nuclear materials.

Identification of firearms

The ﻿INTERPOL Firearms Reference Table provides a standardized methodology to identify and describe firearms, and enables an investigator to obtain or verify the details of a firearm.

Comparison of ballistics data

Exchange of firearms data

The ﻿INTERPOL Illicit Arms Records and tracing Management System (iARMS) facilitates information exchange and cooperation between law enforcement agencies on firearm-related crime, and allows them to trace a firearm from the point of manufacture or of legal importation into a country, through the lines of supply to the last known point of possession.

Radiological and nuclear materials

The ﻿Project Geiger database is used to collate and analyse information on illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities involving radiological and nuclear materials. It combines data from the International Atomic Energy Agency, open-source reports and law enforcement channels.

Organized crime networks

The purpose of these databases is to improve the collection and exchange of intelligence, support investigations, and better analyse the crime networks, leading to the identification and arrest of their leaders and financiers.